When adult studios refer to all who are employed as “family,” few if any can say the fans make up part of that family. After over a year in operation, ArchAngel has fulfilled a promise it made when it debuted — to utilize the power of its fans.
Indeed, those fans have been key — not only based on their purchasing power but also when it comes to creative content. ArchAngel fans have a voice in the direction of the studio’s titles — from naming the films, to choosing talent and describing the types of scenes they want to see — many of which have received critical acclaim, various award nominations and of course, yielding positive sales numbers that have turned the first-year studio into a major competitor among the more established names in the industry.
We appreciate all the fans out there that really have trusted us to grow and trust us with their ideas to actually bring it to the forefront, we can’t do this without the fans. -MimeFreak, ArchAngel
“All of our movies are fan-input based,” ArchAngel Owner Gabriel Guzman said. “We ask the fans what they want and we deliver. That’s why our movies are bestsellers.”
Another reason ArchAngel’s films have been consistent bestsellers is having veteran director MimeFreak at the helm of many of the studio’s bestselling titles. Holding the title of General Manager, MimeFreak has complete creative control over his productions but does rely heavily on fan input. “Fan power. That’s one word we live by. We go directly to the fans to see what it is they like, what it is that they want to see us produce. That’s something that’s incredible. A lot of the movies that we produce we go to the fans. “The Booty Movie” is pretty much fan-driven. That movie right there is where the fans get to vote on the girls with the nicest ass that we can actually bring to the forefront, so to speak. “Anal Warriors” ...a fan actually came up with that title. We just went along with it. If it sounds good and the fans have good ideas, we don’t mind going forward with it.”
“With MimeFreak, creativity is just a fraction of what he brings to the table,” Guzman says. “He’s definitely at the forefront and I believe he’s the best at what he does.”
ArchAngel doesn’t try to, in MimeFreak’s words, “re-invent the wheel.” The key to the studio’s success is simply giving the fans what they want without going so far left it’s not relatable to anyone. “We went directly to the fans and the fans have been a big contribution to our success. We continue to reach out. We want to really know what the fans want to see and I think that’s part of our success.”
Both executives say in their first year in operation, the company has achieved most of its goals the studio set out to accomplish in 2015 on its creative and business ends. “Our goal was to be the top studio, and we definitely are one of the top studios in the industry and will continue to be in 2016,” Guzman declared. We hit all expectations and kicked in the door. We did what we planned which included contract stars, showcases and a lot of girls’ firsts on film, like the studios did back in the day.”
“From the first time I worked with ArchAngel I felt immediately comfortable on set,” said Kendra Lust, who recently signed a directing and interracial exclusive contract with the studio. “I liked the idea of them wanting me to do my first IR with them. They were a new company and I have to admit I was somewhat hesitant at first. But, after talking with Gabe and MimeFreak, I was ready. After shooting with them a few more times, we discussed an interracial contract. The great thing with them is that I have some creative control over my scenes, as well as a say in the talent that I work with. Needless to say, I am very happy with my decision!”
As for its distribution channels, Guzman, who spent 12 years in distribution, cites teaming up with Girlfriends Films to be their exclusive distributor in the United States as one of the best executive moves the studio has made over the past year. “ArchAngel has a dream team of industry vets behind it, which sheds any doubt of success that may linger around a brand new studio,” Girlfriends Films President Moose said.
“Guys like Gabe and MimeFreak are the best at what they do, and the studio’s movies reflect this,” he added. “Their movies are killing it. There is still a market for quality content, and ArchAngel’s sales are an example of this. All their titles do extremely well right off the bat, and they pull in high re-orders too, but I’d say the superstar showcases like “True Lust” and “Remy’s Angels” are definitely the fan favorites. Every ArchAngel title is shipping out the door with elite numbers. We are able to confidently tell retailers and distributors that ArchAngel is the best at what it does. I have a lot of buyers who want a set number of each title without knowing the title. 2016 already has quite a few pre-orders for ArchAngel’s upcoming movies.”
MimeFreak, who wields executive power and is second only to Guzman in the ArchAngel hierarchy, hopes the studio has more of an Internet presence in 2016. “I want to develop our website more. That’s a monster that we’ve been trying to feed. With the DVD market always up and down, up and down, everybody wants the instant stream. So there’s a balance of trying to cater to the DVD market and then cater to the Internet as well. I think our [next] goal is to really establish ourselves on the Internet. The DVD market is where we do fairly well but I think we need to make a bigger presence online. [So] what I want is I want to be able to establish us on the Internet. We’re still a fairly new company and we have to work out the kinks but I think one wish is to make a big presence on it.”
That’s a wish that could become a reality with the recent launch of their pay site ArchAngelVideo.com. Guzman sees this newly launched arm of the studio as a positive first step for the studio to increase their presence online and perhaps even match the strength of their physical DVD sales. “I was really impressed with how many sign-ups we received the first month and the number of members continues to grow each month. The contract stars and the girls in our movies have helped a lot in the sense that their fans are signing up. When we put up an exclusive scene with AJ Applegate, she really pushed it hard and we saw a sharp rise in membership within days of it going up on the site. Sarah Vandella, Nina Elle, Kendra Lust and Summer Brielle have all promoted the site heavily and we definitely see a difference because of their promotional efforts.
“So with all the sign-ups, we can see we’re doing things right, because the fans are happy,” Guzman continues. “We also give members a lot for their money — they don’t just get scenes from the DVDs, but also exclusive scenes, the chance to direct scenes and we listen to their ideas for casting future movies.”
Another way ArchAngel has increased its online presence is by utilizing social media to its advantage. According to MimeFreak, he lives on social media. “With me and Potter, the guy who runs the ArchAngel site, we’re always tweeting and we’ve always been involved. There’s not a day that goes by where we don’t post new pictures or we don’t interact with fans. Our whole company was built on social media. Social media founded this company. So social media plays a huge role in what we’re doing. A huge role.”
For 2016, it’s a given that with the same executive team in place, their commitment to deliver quality fan-driven content, and their ability to recruit the best talent in the industry, ArchAngel will have another stupendous year. “I really hope that they... get the recognition they truly deserve,” Lust said. “I want nothing but continued success for them. When a company is awesome with talent and easy to work with it makes it hard not to want anything but amazing things for them. I am very proud and truly flattered to be a part of the ArchAngel family.”
“We appreciate all the fans out there that really have trusted us to grow and trust us with their ideas to actually bring it to the forefront,” MimeFreak concluded. “We can’t do this without the fans. I thank everybody.”
